Divergent benefits of urban nature: A comparison of new towns and unplanned settlements in South Tangerang, Indonesia

Urban nature provides essential ecosystem services, but their use and perception vary based on socio‐demographic factors, including settlement type, which reflects differences in socio‐economic and environmental conditions. This study compares how residents of new town developments (master‐planned areas) and unplanned settlements (organically developed) use and perceive ecosystem services in South Tangerang city, Indonesia. A social survey of 403 residents was conducted to examine differences in provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services. We determined that new town residents had twice the odds of having views of nature from their homes compared with residents of unplanned settlements. In contrast, residents of unplanned settlements had higher odds of relying on water provisioning services, indicating greater dependence on natural water sources. No significant differences were found in the perception of regulating services such as flood and heat mitigation between the two groups. These findings highlight how different settlement types as an outcome of (new‐build) gentrification can shape the ways residents use and perceive ecosystem services, suggesting the need for urban planning strategies that consider variations in ecosystem service benefits across these communities in cities with both new town developments and unplanned settlements. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Indonesian translation: Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.